IPL 2025: Clinical Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets

Dubai: Young left-arm pacer Ashwini Kumar had butterflies in his stomach ahead of his Mumbai Indians debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025 at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. But once on the field, he gave Mumbai fans plenty to cheer about, producing a stellar four-wicket haul to help bowl out the defending champions for just 116 in 16.1 overs.

In reply, Ryan Rickelton’s fluent half-century and Suryakumar Yadav’s blistering 27 off nine balls took Mumbai past the modest target with eight wickets to spare in just 12.5 overs.

Trent Boult set the tone by dismissing Sunil Narine in the first over, before Deepak Chahar joined the party with two quick wickets. Ashwini then took over, dismantling KKR’s middle order with the prized scalps of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell.

Still coming to terms with his dream debut, the 23-year-old said: “Feeling very good. I was under pressure initially, but the team environment helped me stay calm,” Ashwini said during the innings break. “I just had a banana, wasn’t feeling very hungry due to the pressure. I had a basic plan, but they told me to enjoy my debut and stick to what I know.”

Bowl to the body, Hardik's words

He also credited Hardik Pandya for his guidance: “Hardik told me to bowl short and target the body, and that led to a wicket. Back in my village, everyone would have been watching—they were just waiting for my debut, and I finally got my opportunity tonight.”

While Ashwini enjoyed a near-perfect debut, young left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur, playing only his second match, had a mixed outing. He picked up one wicket but was left ruing a dropped catch—ironically, by Ashwini himself.

With a dominant performance at home, Mumbai Indians have not only bounced back in the tournament but also lifted the spirits of their fans.

Mumbai Indians are cruising towards the modest target. India skipper Rohit Sharma couldn’t find his rhythm but stuck to his aggressive approach, only to fall to Andre Russell after mistiming a shot over mid-off.

However, South African left-hander Ryan Rickelton seized the opportunity, racing to 58 and guiding Mumbai to 89 for one at the halfway stage. England all-rounder [name missing] is on 15, and with Mumbai in complete control, the finish line is just a few deliveries away.

Mumbai Indians might have lost their first two matches in IPL 2025, but the five-time champions roared back with a stunning performance against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

Playing their first home match of the season, Mumbai’s incisive bowling attack skittled KKR for 166 in 16.1 overs, with 23-year-old debutant Ashwini Kumar leading the charge. The Punjab left-arm seamer delivered a dream debut, finishing with a four-wicket haul for 24 runs that included the prized scalps of skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell.

A relative newcomer to Indian domestic cricket, the left-arm medium pacer has played just two first-class matches, four List A games, and four Twenty20 matches for Punjab. His previous best was 3 for 37 against Arunachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match.

Before the young pacer took over, the experienced duo of Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar had already done significant damage, reducing Kolkata to 45 for five in seven overs.

Mumbai bowlers' task was made easier by the Kolkata batters who lacked application and the attitude and had no clue to find a way out of trouble.

Kolkata’s innings is collapsing rapidly. Rinku Singh, India’s feared T20 finisher, failed to capitalise on the opportunity despite having ample overs at his disposal. The left-hander attempted to clear the off-side field for a second consecutive time but was caught at deep point off Ashwini Kumar. Two balls later, the left-arm pacer bowled Manish Pandey, further extending Mumbai’s dominance and making it a dream debut for the 23-year-old.

After 11 overs, Kolkata are struggling at 80/7, with Andre Russell at the crease alongside all-rounder Ramandeep Singh.

Knight Riders are in deep trouble after losing four wickets in the powerplay overs. Trent Boult once again opened the floodgates when he had Sunil Narine in the first over. After that, none of the Kolkata batters tried to lower the gear and kept playing at the same pace, only to pay a heavy price. Deepak Chahar removed Quniton de Kock and Venkatesh Iyer, while young Punjab medium-pacer Ashwini Kumar removed skipper Ajinkya Rahane. At 45 for 5 after just seven overs, KKR have an uphill task and need a big effort from Rinku Singh and Manish Pandey.

Mumbai Indians win the toss and elect to field. Following are the teams. Hardik says it is a fresh wicket and that it looks good, and with the possibility of dew, they want to chase.

Kolkata Knight Riders XI: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

Mumbai Indians XI: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur